BUENOS AIRES (March 21): Argentina's largest umbrella union, the powerful General Confederation of Labor (CGT), announced on Thursday it will hold a broad 24-hour strike on April 10 in protest of President Javier Milei's economic austerity measures and reforms.

Milei has overseen a dramatic reduction in Argentina's sky-high inflation, but unions say his cuts to public spending have caused layoffs and hurt consumers' purchasing power.

Rising unemployment will be a focus of the strike, CGT secretary general Hector Daer said.

"One cannot be a mere spectator of the layoffs that are taking place," Daer said.

The strike will be the union's third organised in protest of Milei's administration. The umbrella union is historically identified with the now-opposition Peronist movement.

"There is nothing that warrants a strike," presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said earlier on Thursday, adding that union leaders are seeking to "harm the government."

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